BARCELONA: Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone is satisfied with his club's performance during a 2-2 draw against Barcelona saying that they "played well against a great team".
"They were on the ball and played in our half of the pitch, but every time we counter-attacked, we were dangerous... In the end, we drew a tough match. We played well against a great team," Simeone said in a video posted by the club's official Twitter handle.
The match started at a furious pace with Barcelona taking a 1-0 lead after Diego Costa scored an own goal in the 11th minute. However, the lead only lasted eight minutes as Saul Niguez successfully converted a penalty to level the scores.
The second half barely began and Barcelona was awarded a penalty. Lionel Messi took the charge and made no mistake to put Barcelona ahead of Atletico Madrid.
However, Atletico Madrid again scored an equalizer and it came from the third penalty of the match. Niguez took the second penalty and brought the scoreline to 2-2 in the 62nd minute.
Simeone said it was a "hard and complex" game and they had ups and downs during the clash.
"It was a hard and complex game like it always is against Barcelona. We had ups and downs," he said.
Atletico Madrid holds the third spot on the La Liga table with 59 points, only behind Barcelona and Real Madrid.